It has been a privilege to be part of the Pearls for the Fritillaries for the Future Project. I got involved in the project by chance during a Rowlands Wood work party in the winter of 2014. Theresa Lux and I asked Mike Mullis if we could see the Small Pearl larvae he was looking after for the Project. We end up helping checking the larvae before there winter hibernation.
In the summer of 2015 we were given a few to look after under the guidance of Mike. Everything was looking good until the winter of 2015/2016. The words for that winter were and still are ‘Heart Breaking’. Normally you don’t have to do too much during mid-winter. Mike was on his normal winter break and the weather was abnormally warm. The larvae decided to come out of hibernation. There was no food in the pots as Violet dies back during the winter due to frost. Mike emailed us asking us to check on them. So we took a pot and started count. Let’s say it wasn’t good. On Boxing Day Theresa and I were looking for Violet, but with the help from others we found enough. We lost a lot that winter. But the team managed to get enough through the breed them on for another year.
2016/17 has been the opposite. The winter was warm but not enough to bring them out of hibernation. It has been a nice warm spring and we have had fantastic weather during the release. All we can do now is wait and see what 2018 bring and we have done all we can for the moment.
Many thanks to Mike Mullis and Neil Hulme for letting us be part of the Project.
I will leave you with a few photos taken of the Pearls during the project.
Spring 2016 the 3rd instar started to come out of hibernation in early March.
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Missed any shots of 4th intar's in 2016, but here is a 5th instar. 4th instar's are hard to catch on the surface.
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By the beginning of May they had started to pupate.
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Our first SPBF hatched on 12th May 2016.
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Then it all starts again.
2016 just as they go into hibernation.
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Spring 2017.
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4th Instar's 2017
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5th Instar's 2017
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Pupae just before hatching 2017
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First SPBF of 2017.
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Couldn't help myself with this one. Got up one morning before a Release and they were just sitting there and warming up.
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Out in the world.
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